When your water heater goes out, you’re natural instinct is to call your plumber to get it fixed right away and while this is an excellent idea, take a few minutes before making the call to see if there is a simple problem that you can fix without an expensive emergency plumbing service call for water heater repairs.
Water heaters are relatively simple devices, but there are several problems that can arise. A standard water heater is just a large tank with a heating element that heats up the tankful of water and keeps it hot and available to satisfy a demand for hot water.
If your water heater has stopped heating water completely, check the pilot light (if you have a gas unit) to make sure the pilot light has not gone out. If so, re-light it and see if that solves the problem. If the pilot light goes out often, have it checked out by your plumber.
If you have an electric water heater, check the circuit breaker to see if it has been tripped. Resetting the circuit breaker may solve the problem, but if the breaker trips frequently you need to have your plumber inspect the unit.
Low water temperature could be a result of an improperly set thermostat or the thermostat could be working improperly. If re-setting the temperature doesn’t help, replacing the thermostat might do the trick.
Sediment build up in the tank can also cause heating problems and a reduction in the capacity of the tank. Your water heater should be periodically drained and flushed to maximize efficiency and service life. This can be a pretty big job so if you don’t want to tackle it yourself, have the tank drained and flushed by your plumber.
